Page 17 of Chasing Storm

I tug Joey’s arm, asking him to be nice. He gives me a gentle smile and nods.

Elijah claps his hands. “You’re lucky I adore your wife. Otherwise, I wouldn’t offer to bail you out of this mess.” Joey’s eyebrow ticks upward. “Of course, it comes with a price.”

“What’s the price?”

The comment prompts Elijah to sit back, cross his legs, and with a cocky smile, he says, “Your wife.”

Joey blasts off the couch, lunging at Elijah. Several men grab his shoulders, and throw him back down, holding him in place. Joey shouts and swears while Elijah laughs at the way he is carrying on.

Elijah shakes his head, gives me a lopsided grin, and says to me, “Does he always behave like this?”

I try to keep my anger under control. “You’ve hit him over the head, and now you tell him you want me. It’s a natural response.”

“True.” He shakes his head. “But let’s face it, Joe turns into a storm when it comes to you. He’s possessive and jealous.”

There’s no saliva left in my mouth, so I turn toward Joey. Elijah isn’t wrong. Joey loses his cool if someone shows an interest in me. It’s one of his weaknesses, yet I like his possessive behavior.

“We’ve had—”

Elijah holds up his hands in surrender. “I get it. You’ve had it rough, being on the run for several weeks now. It’s tiring constantly looking over your shoulder.” His eyes shift to Joey, who is still seething, grinding his teeth, and then he glances at me. “By the way, the wife thing was a joke. It’s easy to get Joey riled. The man is obsessed with you.”

I stare down into my lap, fiddling with the zipper on my coat. Joey isn’t obsessed. Possessive? Yes. Jealous? Yes. Obsessed? No.

From my periphery, I catch Joey’s heaving chest, so I reach for his hand. His head turns to me, and I lean to kiss his cheek and give him a light squeeze. Joey has gone out of his way to keep us safe. Me safe. I don’t like the fact Elijah is teasing him, especially while he’s constrained.

Elijah notices our interaction, so he tells the men to let Joey go, who pulls away from the guys, scowling at them, before hugging me.

Elijah sits back. “As I was saying, I’ll bail you out of this mess for a price.”

Joey lets out a heavy sigh, but I cut in and ask, “If you can help us, name the price.”

He gives me another panty melting smile. “You’re sweet, Teagan. What can I get you to drink?”

“A water would be nice.”

He orders one of his men to get one. Once I have it in my hand, he clears his throat and gestures to Joey. “I heard you’re a math whiz.” Joey nods. “And I need a reliable accountant and a trader.” I see Joey’s body relaxing, like he knows what’s coming. Elijah sits forward again. “Here’s the deal. I’ll have one of my hackers scrub the hit clean from the black web and offer five million for the whereabouts of James Cooper.”

Joey moves forward. “Why my old man?”

Elijah bellows, “Because he put the hit on you!”

“How do you know?”

“It’s my business to know everything, Joe. Just like I know about you being a math whiz.”

They stare at each other for a moment, and Elijah continues. “The five million for James’ whereabouts should keep him in hiding…” His finger teeters between us. “And you two can get back to a normal life, albeit becoming my accountant.”

Joey asks, “Why me? I’m sure you can afford anyone.”

“Because even though you’re a possessive asshole, I like the fact you funneled money from James over the years. I’m guessing you hit millionaire status by now. That makes you savvy when it comes to money.” He pauses to stare at me and returns his gaze to Joey. “Plus, you’re passionate about important things to you.” His finger flicks at me.

A devious grin creeps up on Joey’s face, and he gives me a sideways wink. “In all fairness, the money belonged to me. My street fights and investments are where James made most of his money, so technically, it’s mine.”

Elijah shakes his finger at him. “Smart. I’ll give you that.” He moves closer to Joey and adds, “But if you so much as think about siphoning money from me, I will have your body parts scattered so far around this entire fucking world they’ll never be able to put you back together.” For the first time, Joey doesn’t challenge him. Elijah eases up, distances himself, and says, “I’ll expect you to remain as my accountant and provide stock trades until you make back the five million plus ten percent interest. Once you do, it’s your choice whether you remain my accountant or move along.”

Joey gnaws on his inner cheek like this is something he needs to consider.

But I don’t, so I blurt out, “Sounds good to me.”

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